Aunt Marilyns Red Velvet Cake Recipes

SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
• Cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each.
• Make a paste with the food coloring and cocoa.
• (It takes a few minutes to get the chocolate to absorb liquid--be patient and keep stirring).
• Add this paste to the butter/sugar mixture.
• Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.
• Add it to the sugar/butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing well between additions.
• (Begin and end with dry ingredients).
• After last addition of flour mixture, stir in vanilla and vinegar.
• Beat for another minute and then divide into 3 prepared pans.
• Bake for about 35 minutes, or until done.
• Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
• To make icing: Mix flour and milk in small pan and cook over low heat until it is thick (stirring often--constantly near end).
• This will take about 10 minute.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla.
• Beat until it is very light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
• When the flour mixture is cooled, add it to the butter mixture and beat until just mixed.
• Assemble the cake with a thin layer of icing between the layers and cover the top and sides of cake.

THE REAL RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Line the bottoms of three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the sides with cooking spray.
• Sift all-purpose flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Microwave buttermilk just until warm, about 30 seconds. Stir in vanilla extract.
• Beat brown sugar and butter together in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly before each addition. Blend in the flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 additions until fully combined. Let mixer run on low for 5 minutes. Distribute the cake batter between the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center the cakes comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Let cool for 15 minutes in the pans. Turn cakes out and let cool completely on a wire rack, at least 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Meanwhile, whisk sugar, milk, flour, and salt together in a medium saucepan for the frosting. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to simmer, about 10 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl and chill for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Beat butter until smooth, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the milk and flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, beating in between each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Mix in the vanilla extract.
• Level the cake layers before assembling the cake. Scoop about 2/3 cup of frosting onto the first layer and spread into an even layer. Repeat with the second and third cake layers. Frost the outsides of the cake with thin layer of frosting to catch any crumbs and chill for 20 minutes.
• Finish frosting the cake with remaining frosting. Cut and serve.

AUNT MARILYN'S RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F Grease and line with wax paper 2-9" cake pans ICING BASE (thickener): Cook over medium heat, 3 T all-purpose flour and 1 cup milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Set aside. As it cools, stir frequently.
• 2. CAKE: Mix together: 1/2 c shortening 1 1/2 c sugar 2 eggs 1 t salt 2 1/4 c cake flour 1 c buttermilk 1 t vanilla extract PASTE: 2 oz red food coloring 2 T cocoa powder Make paste of 2 and add to mixture
• 3. When all ingredients are mixed, add: 1 T white vinegar mixed with 1 t baking soda and fold into cake. DO NOT BEAT. Divide into 2 cake pans and bake 30-35 minutes.
• 4. When cakes are cooled, slice through layers and ice between, making a 4-layer cake. Ice sides and top and press chopped walnuts into sides, only. Keep cake cool.
• 5. ICING: Cream together, 1 lb. butter, 1 cup sugar, and 1 t vanilla extract. Beat thickener into sugar/butter mixture and whip until lite and fluffy.
• 6. Aunt Marilyn's Personal Notes: 1 cake recipe = 32 cupcakes A single icing recipe is sufficient For any red cakes I make, I increase the amount of icing by 1 1/2 times. NOTE: I have found that this icing recipe quantities is sufficient for a 4-layer cake. I don't know if what she wrote was the "increase 1 1/2 times" or the "single" icing recipe. ~Carolyn